They Grow Up So Fast

Every once in a while I come across a picture and it makes me stop dead in my tracks and think, "Oh my, when did my children get so big???" I think that seeing them everyday and being around them more than I am not around them I kind of hold in my mind a picture of my babies and they don't really grow or change, but when I look through pictures it hits me like a ton of bricks that my babies aren't babies anymore!

This picture did just that when I saw how big Shelby is. She is growing up in every aspect. Her sweet little legs don't even carry a trace of baby fat any more and the sad thing to me is that I am not sure I remember when that happened...a few days ago, weeks ago, months ago, years ago?? I just don't know.

This picture was taken Sunday, on Father's day. We had a great time at the lake with the family. Shelby and JP really, really love the water. JP's favorite thing to do is splash you and also jump off the back of the boat. Shelby loves to jump off the back of the boat and go underwater to find sticks, shells, snails, or whatever else is under there. This is a new trick that her daddy taught her on Sunday and the first time she came back up with a stick you should have seen the look in her eye! She was so proud of herself and amazed at what she had done. I just loved watching it!!!

Cruisin'

Wow!! What a great and adventurous vacation we had!! I really don't know where to start, so I will start from the beginning.....

Monday morning we got up early to finish getting everything ready for our trip and got the children ready for their crazy day of babysitter swap day. Promptly at 8:15 Liz showed up to take over and I found myself unexpectedly sad to be leaving my children who just the day before were driving me crazy!!! Anyway, they were so excited to be playing with Liz that I had to chase them down to get a hug and kiss good-bye. We made it to the airport, checked our bags and found out that our flight was delayed, but thankfully Delta had already booked us on another flight out of Atlanta since we were going to miss our first flight. After a bit of rushing through airports and whatnot we made it to Ft. Lauderdale. As we waited and waited, hope that our luggage made it began to diminish when I looked around and noticed that it was just us and a very few other people still standing their waiting for bags. After talking to a Delta agent we found out that they were on their way on the next flight and would be arriving at 3:40pm so we left them instructions to please deliver them to the boat asap and left. As excited that I was to be on vacation with Pratt, I have to admit that I was a little pouty and worried about our luggage. We made the most of the first day on our ship, ate lunch, walked around, went to our room, and when dinner time came we went to dinner. Trying to stay optimistic I just knew that when we turned the corner to the hall where our room was we would see our luggage sitting in the hall waiting for us.....but, it wasn't!!! They missed the boat and the next place we would be able to get them was a day and a half away!!! Oh, I was so sad! Not because I needed this or that but because I was excited to show Pratt my new swimsuits. Anyway, we spoke to the guest relations on the boat and they were very helpful. I am sure that this isn't the first time something like that had happened, but they made us feel so special and accommodated us in the most wonderful way! Jan, the girl we worked with, was the best and when I felt like I could cry she was very calm and reassuring. Of course, Pratt was wonderful in how he stayed upbeat through the whole thing and stayed positive and calm the whole time!!! Thankfully on Wednesday around 4:30pm we got our luggage and the first thing we did was put on our workout clothes and head to the gym to work off all that food and drink we had consumed. If you are ever considering a cruise, I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean. Based on our experience, everyone was so friendly and helpful. All the staff were kind to us and helpful in many ways from free tux rental to discounts at the spa to a little extra splash in our drinks.

Anyway, that was the worst of the worst and we had a wonderful time. This is a picture when we got on the boat before we knew for sure that our bags didn't make it.

Because our bags didn't make it we didn't have anything to wear for formal night. Thankfully Jan took care of us and arranged for Pratt to have a free tux rental and gave me a dress and some shoes to wear. The tux and my shoes were a little big, but we had a great night!!!

We did two excursions while out and about. The first stop was Grand Cayman and we did a Jeep 4x4 tour of the island. We drove through all these little neighborhoods...kind of got the chamber of commerce tour, visited a national park, went to Hell (seriously, that was the name of the place), visited a Rum Cake factory which was wonderful (we had free samples of rum cake and let me tell you, it was the best cake I have ever had and am kind of wishing right now that we had bought more than we did), and ended up at a little beach bar for lunch and to hang. Unfortunately at this point we didn't have our bathing suits so we elected to had back early to the boat and see if anyone knew anything about our bags. And much to my great joy and relief we were able to find out that our bags were there and we would be getting them sometime that afternoon!!!!

The next day we were in Cozumel. Our excursion for that day took us over to Cancun, on a 45 minute bus ride (without air conditioner), a 5 minute trolley ride and we finally arrived at the Tulum Mayan Ruins. It was pretty neat to see the remains of this ancient civilization and learn a little bit about them. Turns out that unfortunately not much is known because some archbishop destroyed most of the records by fire. Anyway, one thing I could figure out is that these people know how to pick a place with a view. On one side of the wall it was blazing hot and nearly unbearable, but on the other side of the wall, in the city there was a nice cool ocean breeze and breath taking views of the ocean. After we were done there we went to a little beach hut to have lunch and swim for a bit in the ocean. After being so incredibly hot, that ocean was so refreshing and I really didn't want to get out to get back on a hot bus, but it was either do that or be stuck without my luggage again:)

This is a picture at the Mayan Ruins. Isn't that view just wonderful!?!?!?!?

Here is a picture of our boat. We took this on the tender in Grand Cayman. While at port in Cozumel we were docked next to the Oasis of the Seas which is the largest cruise ship in the world. It made our boat look like a dingy it was so big!!!

One thing that was nice about not having our bags was that since we didn't get to wear our formal clothes on formal night we wore them on our anniversary night. It was fun to get all dressed up for that night since it was such a big night for us. We had wonderful table friends and am so glad that we got to meet them. They were very friendly and just fun people to be with.

It was a great trip and I am so thankful for the 10 years that Pratt and I have had together.

Oh wait, one more story....when we made it back to Savannah on Saturday we were tired and ready to go. I was dying to see the children and give them great big hugs; well, as our luck with our luggage would continue when we got off the plane a horrible storm came through. The power was knocked out at the airport, the firemen showed up, and of course in weather that bad no one in their right mind would be unloading bags from the plane. So we waited for an hour to get our bags. We were greatly relieved that we got them and the jury is out as to whether or not we will ever check bags again:)

No Ad Tanning Oil

It is funny how certain things trigger memories and then those memories trigger other memories and so on...Yesterday morning I was heading to the store to buy a birthday present and on the way I started taking a mental inventory of our sunscreen stock to make sure that if we needed some that I picked some up and while I was thinking about that I remembered about that brand of sunscreen called No Ad and thought to myself how clever that was because they don't advertise for their brand and then I started to wonder if it was really cheaper than a brand that is advertised for, which then made me think of the first time I had ever heard of No Ad which is where this story starts.....(wow, was that a run-on sentence or what?!?!?!)


So, lets go back to May of 1994 (just typing that makes it seem like 100 years ago...1994). It was the end of my freshman year at a new school and really, it was a great year. I experienced playing organized sports for the first time, made a lot of new friends and reconnected with some old friends. I also got asked to go to the prom. So, at the dinner they asked everyone to look under their chair and whoever had a little sticker won the door prize...and guess what?!?!? It was my chair!! And you guessed it, it was a bag with a beach towel and No Ad tanning oil...


As I was taking this walk down memory lane of my first prom, some other great memories started flooding my ming.......


Thinking about that No Ad tanning oil and prom made me remember my first dance every with Pratt. We didn't have school sponsored dances so the parents of the junior class would put together an after prom party with dancing for us to enjoy. This particular year the party was at Spanish Wells and I was not the dancing queen then that I am now. I shyed away from the dance floor and spent time talking with my prom date, Kris, and Pratt and his date happened to be sitting at the table with us. Now, I don't know if Pratt had this planned or not, but he eventually tricked me into dancing with him for the next slow dance. I think the song was "Lady in Red", but I was wearing green and I wouldn't let him get close to me at all. I firmly planted my forearms into his shoulders so that there was no way he could pull me in (I don't know if he intended to do that or not, but Iwasn't giving him the opportunity). Anyway, something happened during our time on the dance floor and by the end of the song I was kind of like, "what just happened here????" I mean, everything stopped, everyone faded away and it felt like it was just him and I alone in the room and that was the first time I thought that I might actually like this guy......


...the shocking thing about this to me at this point was prior to this, I really didn't like him one bit!!! I thought he was cocky, arrogant, mean, not serious about anything, loud; everything that was total opposite of me, I was quiet, didn't want to be noticed, studious......


Anyway, the dance ended and I kind of thought, well, he is too cool for me so that was nice but I better take my feelings and stuff it because there is no chance. Flash forward a week or so and as I was heading out for carpool he came running up to me and asked me if he could call me. I think I stuttered all bit before I came up with, "Okay." That night he called me and asked me if I would like to hang out with him on Saturday and I said, "Okay." We worked out when he would pick me up and then I waited. Saturday came and he must have thought I was mute because I don't think I said very much that whole day we were together and when he dropped me back off at home I thought, okay, that was nice but he won't call again....and you wouldn't believe, but he called again!!!!


So we hung out a lot on the weekends and on June 4, 1994 he officially asked me out (you remember, you weren't exclusively dating until you were "asked out"). I said yes and we spent nearly everyday together until he left for France. While he was away he had flowers delivered to me twice and that really impressed my mom and put me over the edge of being head over heels for him. I couldn't wait for him to come back!


The day came, he came home and that night as he was playing basketball he hurt himself really, really bad which led to him having to have surgery on his ankle. After that I didn't hear from him too much and the summer went on. School started again and to me it was a little awkward being around him because I really didn't know what was going on since I all the sudden he stopped calling and stuff.


Then came the high school retreat. We did all of our little activities and during some free time one night he asked me to take a walk with him....oh man, was my heart beating like mad!!! The only reason that I could come up with for him wanting to talk to me all the sudden was that he was going to tell me that he didn't want to date me anymore, but to my pleasant surprise we had a nice talk that night, he walked me back to my cabin and said good night and that was that. After that we started hanging out again.


Now, just so you know, up until this point we really didn't hold hands and we definitely didn't kiss (because you know, kissing gets you pregnant...hahahahha, jk!!!). A few weeks later he kissed me for the first time in the rain in my driveway and I don't know that I slept a wink that night........


The rest is history!!! Next week we will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary and I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is the man that God had for me. There is no one else out there who would put up with me like he does, who would encourage me to step out of my comfort zone, who loves me when I am unlovable. He is my best friend, my one and only true love, my husband! Now don't get me wrong, everything isn't always all rosey over here. We have our moments when we don't really like each other very much and it seems nearly impossible that we will come to agreement on somethings, but we made a commitment in front of God and our families to love, honor and cherish one another through all the days of our lives; so when those times come we chose to love each other, we chose to work on things, and we chose to stick it out; and those are the times that we find our relationship grow and become stronger.

Pratt, I love you more than words can say! Thank you for encouraging me, loving me when I make it nearly impossible, for always standing by me, for listening to me rant and rave about whatever it is that I need to rant and rave about and then for letting me cry on your shoulder when I have run out of energy to rant and rave. I am so glad that we have shared so many years together and am excited to share the rest of my days with you!

A Little Bit of Catch Up

So, May was a very, very busy month in the Reed household. I know I say this alot, but I really have no idea where the time goes!! As I was looking back through the May pictures and remembering all that we did I was amazed at how much we did and then started to think about all the things we did that I didn't take pictures of and, well, it is almost overwhelming and could send many people into full out panic mode!!!

Anyway, it was an exciting month for us. Aunt Suzy, Uncle Patricio, and Sebastian (I am dropping the "baby" part because he isn't a baby anymore :( and I am sure as he gets older he won't appreciate being called "Baby Sebastian") came back for a visit!! We are so glad that they are here and love spending time with them. Sebastian is getting so big and Shelby and JP just love, love, love playing with him. JP and I wrapped up CBS in great style! I just love CBS and am so sad when summer break comes, but the good thing is that being away from something for a time makes you appreciate it that much more when it comes back around. Shelby and JP finished school. Next year Shelby is going to be in kindergarten and JP will be going 5 mornings a week!!! Whoa!!!!!!!! What am I going to do???? I think that I am already a little depressed over losing my babies:(

Uncle Matt's birthday falls on finals week every year so we always wait to celebrate his birthday in May when he is all finished. This year was extra special because he took an internship in Kentucky which means that we don't get to see him the whole summer. We had a great family time at Mom and Dad's. Uncle Matt had one of those M&M ice cream cakes you see in the grocery store for his cake and it was delicious!!! Shelby still points out those cakes when we walk through the grocery and says, "Look mom, just like Uncle Matt's cake!!!" It definitely made an impression on her.

Oh, how could I forget!!! We also celebrated Mother's day in May!! What a wonderful day it was. We spent some wonderful family time in the evening playing outside and enjoying the beautiful weather. I love my family sooo much and love our precious moments together! Sometimes I wish that I could video tape everything so that I could pause certain moments and live in them a little longer than they seem to last in real time. Shelby and JP, I love you both dearly and am so glad to be your mommy!!!

Pratt's birthday falls in May and as is tradition in our house, we celebrated on Pratt's birthday with some cake and ice cream!! This one was special because Suzy, Patricio and Sebastian got to celebrate with us. For Pratt's birthday, I made chocolate cake and then the children helped decorate it with M&Ms....hummmm, I think we have an M&M theme running for May birthday parties:)

At the end of the month we headed up to the NC mountains with our friends the Alberts. What a wonderful weekend of food, friends, fellowship, and gems! While we were up there we did so many different things...the dads took the children on a bear hunt, we ate alot, visited a fire station, dined and danced at the golf club, the guys played golf, we visited Little Switzerland for lunch, walked through a mine, went gem mining, etc.

There's gold in them there hills!!! Well, not exactly, but we did find some pretty rocks! It is hard to tell who had more fun, but one thing is for sure, we all had a lot of fun at the gem mine. Here are the four children with their spoils from the day. They were so proud of their find.

I just had to include this next picture because it is so cute to me. The last day we were there they guys played in a golf tournament so Leslie and I held down the fort. Unfortunately it was kind of rainy that day so we spent most of the morning inside, which after a while lead to cabin fever among the natives. So, in order to maintain sanity we decided to brave the weather and head out hoping with all hope that it wouldn't start pouring rain while we were out walking and thankfully it didn't!! Anyway, as we are walking along Shelby found a dead tree that had fallen over and decided that it made a great walking stick. She carried that thing for the entire walk and wanted to bring it home with her....unfortunately and thankfully we convinced her it wouldn't fit in the car. Her is a picture of her and her stick.

That is just a brief synopsis of May. We did so many things and had such a great time. Now that summer is in full swing it will probably be 2 months before I blog again, but maybe not....we will have to see.